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John Bradford Moore
JB Moore was a trader who established a trading post at Crystal, New Mexico at the western end of the Narbona Pass. His mission was to buy anything and everything the Navajo had to sell and to sell the Navajo everything they needed.
Around the turn of the century there was great demand for oriental rugs. Moore understood what the market in the eastern United States would value. During the winter months, Moore employed Navajo weavers to make rugs. He ensured that the wool and the weaving was good quality and created his own designs with oriental elements. He quickly gaining a reputation as a source of good quality rugs.
Moore's business flourished, and in 1903 and in 1911 he published mail-order catalogs, drawing business from across the United States. In his 1903 catalog, Moore made much of the authenticity of his products. The catalog included photographs of the interior and exterior of the trading post and the land around it, and of Navajo people, outdoor looms and hogans. He said: "While this booklet makes no claim of being a pioneer in its field, I think it may claim to be the first of its kind published and distributed from the very center of the Navajo Indian Reservation, by an Indian trader living among and dealing directly with the Indians who makes the goods which it illustrates and describes."
JB Moore and More...
Crystal JB Moore Plate XXIII Navajo Weaving : Historic : GHT 1052 : 4'10″ x 9′
$ 12,000.00
Woven in the 1920s, we have a Crystal JB Moore Plate XXIII weaving in MINT condition! the Master weaver of this piece modified the original plate and added beautiful interwoven X's in each of the corners.Each plate was used as a guide and the artist would add elements to make it their own. We've included an image of the original plate for you i...

SOLD Crystal JB Moore Plate XV Variant : Historic : GHT 2158 : 48″ x 82″
JB Moore and other Traders on the reservation were responsible for helping to define regional styles of weaving. JB Moore printed a catalog in 1903 and 1911 of rugs in which people back East could purchase. Over the years, those designs influenced weavers to create weavings using elements of the designs in his catalogs. Here we have a handsome...

Crystal JB Moore Plate XIX Variant : Historic : GHT 874 : 4’3" x 8’4"
$ 7,800.00
For this weaving, we present a historic Crystal Runner made of native wool and Mohair wool and is a variant of JB Moore's 1911 Plate XIX. The colors are so bright and vivid. The brown border can be attributed to hand-spun variegated natural mohair wool. Style JB Moore Weaver Unknown Navajo Date circa 1910 Size 51" x 100" (4’3" x 8’4...